Granta Will Bring Voice Control to Home Automation

The new home automation tech promises voice and vision control for home security and entertainment control.

We’re seeing a lot of voice and gesture controls pop up on newer HDTVs. Now it’s time to have those same conveniences creep into other areas of the Electronic House. Well, it’s almost time.

GEO Semiconductor, SpeechFX and VoiceVault have partnered up for Granta, a new home automation technology. The hook on Granta is its voice and vision control features — and the ability to add those options not just into home entertainment, but security as well.

Promising personalization for control devices and systems in the home, Granta will allow homeowners to use hand gestures and voice commands to arm a security system, adjust lights and thermostats, unlock the door, and remotely view the whole living room using a fisheye lens in the smoke alarm.

“Due to the advancements in processing power and algorithms, technologies such as voice recognition and gesture recognition can be brought to any device in the home,” said Brian Gannon, GEO Semiconductor’s VP of marketing and business development. “Also with the proliferation of WiFi and video compression, people can easily stay connected to their homes through their smartphones and tablets.”

GEO Semiconductor, SpeechFX and VoiceVault have embedded Granta on a tiny IC that can be put into any device. Right now, there’s no word on where the tech will pop up first. However, it isn’t just a pipe dream, either. Granta just made an appearance at the Voice Biometrics Conference in San Francisco.